Post Commander Course Overview and Essential Tools

POST COMMANDER COURSE UPDATED APRIL 2020

Overview Getting started Post Commander s roles Post Officers Finance Post Management Public Relations Post Activities/Membership Running Effective Meetings Leadership Goals Now What?

Why are we here? To help new Post Commanders have knowledge and confidence Provide some tools to be effective Share ideas and suggestions of successful Post Commanders Provide a lifeline of information and support during your tenure Guide your path for future roles

A Path To Success Successful Post Commanders become knowledgeable County Commanders Successful County Commanders become enthusiastic District Commanders Successful District Commanders become key leaders at Department level or beyond We need great leaders at all levels of our organization It all starts at the Post level

Facts To Be Recognized There are over 12,600 AL Posts NO TWO ARE ALIKE Differences in size, wealth, assets, history, location, member attitudes, community support, personalities There is no one-size-fits all checklist for how to be the Commander of a particular Post

Essential Tools Officer s Guide & Manual of Ceremonies Post Adjutant s Guide Public Relations Toolkit District and County Commanders Guide Four Pillars booklet

Officers Guide and Manual of Ceremonies Published annually Each Department receives copies to distribute to the Posts Post Operations Manual of Ceremonies The Commander s first source for guidance

Assessing The Situation What is the overall health of the Post? What (if any) goals does the Post have? What does the community think of the Post (its reputation)? What Legion programs does the Post support? How well does the Post manage the programs? Use the Post Responsibility Audit (PRA) to help assess Officers Guide pp. 25-29

Self Assessment Are you prepared to lead the Post? Do you know your Post members? Do you understand Legion values and purposes? How much do you know about Legion programs?

First Things To Do Find/read Post Constitution and Bylaws They set main operating policies of the Post If no copy is on file at Department, use the template in the Officers Guide to write and approve these documents

First Things To Do (2) Read the minutes of post meetings for the previous year Any actions still pending? What has happened? Review finance reports for the previous year Communicate with District Commanders, introduce yourself

Department Administrative Manual Monthly guide to programs and reporting requirements for all Legion activities Not all will apply to you A valuable guide to plan your month Contains all forms for annual Legion awards and required reporting

Other Tools Adjutant s Guide Know the adjutant s role District/County Commanders Guide National publication to assist leaders above post level Four Pillars booklet Discusses Legion programs and how they relate to the Pillars Good tool for explaining Legion values and purposes to both post and prospective members

The Commanders Role What is it? What should it be?

The Ideal Commander What attributes, actions, skills do you want and expect in a Post Commander? How can a Post Commander make up for areas in which they may be weak? How long should someone be a Post Commander?

Commanders Role Leadership Positive attitude Energy Enthusiasm Passion Knowledge Which roles can you already fill?

Take Care Of The People Just as in the military, a good commander takes care of their people Recognize those who do good things Submit people for the MANY awards at district and department levels Use the Administrative Manual for awards opportunities Submit the Post for awards

Sons Of The American Legion Founded 1932 as a program of The American Legion Eligible to all males whose parents or grandparents served in the military and became eligible to join the Legion Department counterpart is the Detachment Post counterpart is the Squadron Integrate the Squadron into Post activities

The American Legion Auxiliary Supports The American Legion Educates the community, mentors' youth, promotes patriotism, citizenship, peace, and security Strong Posts almost always have a strong Auxiliary Treat them as a partner work together

Consolidated Post Report Documents post activities Combined with all posts, it tells the Legion story for the year Covers activities in ALL programs Online reports should be updated all year long 3-part paper report is available for use Due to Department HQ on as determined by the Department Data is used for Congressional and other reports

Post Officers What officers are needed? What do they do?

Required Post Commander. One or more Post Adjutants/Finance Officer. Post Service Officer. Such other officers as the Post shall deem necessary that are contained in the Officers Guide and Manual of Ceremonies, under Post Officers. A Post Executive Committee composed of such odd number of members as is provided in the Constitution and Bylaws adopted by such Post, and in addition thereto the Post Commander and Post Adjutant, who shall be ex-officio members of said Committee.

Post Officers Commander leader, mentor, guide Adjutant secretary/record keeper combination First Vice Cmdr usually elected, with membership as the primary duty Second Vice Cmdr oversee programs, run special activities, sometimes public relations

Post Officers (2) Finance Officer integrity and financial savvy (must be bonded) Service Officer helps those needing assistance; gets them in contact with the right people Chaplain moral and intellectual leadership Sergeant At Arms meeting room arrangement and control; expert on flag etiquette

Post Officers (3) Historian useful to have someone fill the role for a number of years Judge Advocate expert on post constitution and bylaws, and parliamentary procedure Executive Committee overall governance and management of the post

Post Officer Selection Officers are elected or appointed by the commander as specified in the post s constitution and bylaws Bylaws should also specify how to replace officers if they leave office early

Post Finances How are finances handled? How SHOULD it be handled?

Post Finances All posts are chartered and have financial reporting obligations to the IRS IRS reporting varies depending on how much money the post handles in a year Finance officers must be bonded for legal and security reasons No matter how large or small the assets, post finances require accurate and honest reporting

Budgets All posts, regardless of size, should develop and monitor a written budget each year Most only track income and expenses with no planned budget A budget forces the Post to look to the future and plan their activities

Financial Accounting The post s methods of handling and reporting finances should be consistent and available for all members to see and understand

Finance Officer Finance Officers must understand the need for openness and visibility Finance officers must be bonded as outlined in the Offers Guide and Manual of Ceremonies Problems with finance are legal problems, not necessarily Legion problems Trust, but verify

Commanders Role In Finances Varies depending on a variety of issue Post assets, finance officer experience, size of the Post and its programs, past history of the Post Commander s main role - ensure the integrity of Post financial management Visibility to the membership is vital Members deserve to know how Post money is managed and spent

Post Management How to manage a Post home? What tools are available to help?

Post Homes Many Posts do not own a building or facility Almost all Posts have a defined meeting place they can call home They need a defined home that the community recognizes Wherever the home, it must create an accurate and positive image of the Legion

Public Relations What is it? Why worry about it? What is the Commander s role?

What Is The Image Of The American Legion In The Community?

The Image Of The Post Is What The COMMUNITY Thinks It Is, Not What YOU Think It Is

Determine Your Image Talk to local leaders and business owners Talk to school leaders Talk to community members at local events Find out: What they know about the Post What they think about the Post How the post can better serve them and the community

Public Relations Toolkit Guide to public relations in the Post Will answer most questions Examples of press releases, marketing materials, event planning, using photos and videos, working with local media Full of ideas and examples USE it!

Commanders Role The Post Commander should be the voice and the face of The American Legion in the community A Vice Commander, serves as public relations officer, and handles marketing and advertising for the post DO great things in and for the community Make sure these things are PUBLICIZED and COMMUNICATED to the community

Post Activities And Membership Why are these two topics combined? Why the constant emphasis on membership? What is the Commander s role?

The Post and Membership Active, innovative Posts retain their members and draw new members Meaningful activities based around Legion values help create a positive reputation in the community A Post should be proud of its community, and a community should be proud of its Post Every Post activity is a membership activity Why?

Importance of Membership The Legion s great programs need funding and manpower to be effective Membership provides both The Big Picture the larger our organization, the more political influence we have at all levels Each Post s goal should be growth, even modest growth

Dues And Membership Dues are set by the Post $31.00 must be submitted annually for each member (excluding PUFL) $18.50 goes to National $12.50 goes to Department Dues range from $31 to $60+ Importance of fundraising internal and external

Assess The Posts Membership Attitude Why should someone join the Post? Why should a new member renew and stay in the Post? (put yourself in their shoes and life situation) Why should new members get actively involved in Post activities? Would a woman/minority/young vet feel welcome at the Post? Would a woman/minority/young vet want to stay a member of the Post?

Relevant Post Activities The Post should have activities relevant to all members Members are different ages and lifestyles Does the post have: Veteran-oriented events Family-oriented events Children-oriented events Community-oriented events Regularly scheduled vs. special events

Post Activity Locations Get the community members into the Post Ideas? Get members out into the community Ideas?

Post Membership Team Successful Posts have a membership team some focused-on recruiting, some on retention, some on mentoring. One person cannot do it all Usually the 1st Vice Commander leads the team Membership must be a constant program, NOT just an annual struggle to meet a membership goal

Membership Goals The annual membership goal is based on the history and veteran population Reaching that goal - focus on two things Retention Recruiting Be creative with membership Who has some ideas for getting members to renew more willingly?

Set A Recruiting Goal Have a specific goal for recruiting members If the post has 200 members, set a goal of at least 16-20 Make sure everyone knows the goal Track it AND make it visible to everyone Poster on the wall This will show everyone how important recruiting is to the Post